Category: General News

The Battle of Britain bunker will be hosting a series of events to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, please click the poster for more information

Please see the attached NORA Newsletter and Chief Planner’s Newsletter  NORA Jun 2025
Chief_Planners_Newsletter_June_2025

2025 is well underway.   We hope the year has started well for you.  Eastcote Residents’ Association extends best wishes to all for a happy and healthy new year ahead and one in which we can continue to work together in seeking to Continue reading “Happy New Year”

NORA NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2024

ALL Ward Residents and The local Aviation Enthusiast Community is encouraged to report anything unusual, specifically drone activity, to their local RAF Station or Police.

THE DRONE CODE:
Don’t fly near airports or airfields
Remember to stay below 400ft (120m)
Observe your drone at all times – stay 150ft (50m) away from people and property
Never fly near aircraft
Enjoy responsibility

IF YOU SEE A DRONE PICK UP THE PHONE, DIAL 999

A very moving service was conducted at the Eastcote War memorial with many people attending along with the wreath bearers.

Many thanks to all who attended the open forum; we hope you found it useful and enjoyed meeting your neighbors.  Please email us with any questions or thoughts arising from the meeting

Trafalgar Theatres has U-turned during last-ditch negotiations with Hillingdon Council which aimed to secure a deal for residents for the ongoing management of the Beck Theatre.
Until last night (Thursday 10 October), the council had been seeking to negotiate terms with Trafalgar for a three-year contract to continue the Beck Theatre operation without the council making an annual payment to them. These negotiations had continued despite Trafalgar’s unexpected announcement on 15 September to terminate their management arrangement on 13 January 2025.

Since that announcement, the council has sought to work closely with Trafalgar to find terms which would enable them to reconsider their position. Whilst Trafalgar publicly accepted the ending of the annual payment, they also sought compensatory terms beyond the council’s offer of the lease of the Beck on a peppercorn rent with the council continuing to be responsible for essential repairs and maintenance.

Last Friday, terms were discussed that seemed mutually agreeable that would ensure the continuation of the Beck’s operation for a further three-and-a-half years, whilst also discussing longer term investment aspirations for a new theatre in the future. However, late on Tuesday evening (8 October), Trafalgar changed their demands and the deal has subsequently fallen through.

In addition to the rent-free use of the Beck which had already been agreed, Trafalgar were now also asking for a considerable subsidy. They were also seeking the ability to walk away from a three-year deal, with rolling break clauses, despite originally wanting more certainty of continued operation. Fundamentally, this would not have ensured any long-term stability for the running of the facility which is the council’s main priority.

Cllr Ian Edwards, Leader of Hillingdon Council, said: “It was with both surprise and regret that we learned that Trafalgar had again reneged on their position at the last-minute and our agreed terms had fallen through.
“Whilst we know this will be hugely disappointing for the residents and supporters of our Beck Theatre to learn, the council cannot be held to a position which continually moves further away from the demands Trafalgar originally negotiated and which would not secure the longer-term future of the Beck.
“I can assure residents that council officers and elected councillors worked tirelessly to reach an agreement with Trafalgar to secure their continued operation, doing everything reasonably possible to keep the theatre operating and open.
“It was immensely frustrating to hear Trafalgar’s demands changed for a second time and as such, the council can no longer move forward while a commercial entity continues to hold taxpayers to ransom, exploiting public funds when essential services for our residents have to take precedence.”

The council will continue to seek an alternative provider to run the council-owned facility to secure its future and the continued enrichment of our community.

LBH Network Operations Manager has advised that Affinity Water have had to close Breakspear Rd South this afternoon near Grays Cottages (area shown in Red on Map) due to a burst Water Main.

There is no timescale for this work to be completed but LBH are expecting the works to be expedited as quickly as possible.

This should not affect HS2 lorries using the Approved Lorry Route on Breakspear Rd South as the Road Closure is further north than the HS2 Site (with the Approved Route only going as far north as the HS2 Site). There will however be increased traffic around the Ruislip and Ickenham areas as displaced traffic moves around the LBH Road Network.

Our last update on Short Term Letting (STL) was in June 2022, where we reported on measures being taken to STL in other countries (including Scotland!) and being contemplated by government in England and Wales (ie the  Departments for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) – which covers tourism).  Since then, progress has been glacial.

A year ago, NORA held a meeting with the Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA), one of the principal trade bodies involved. Both parties agreed on the current housing crisis, and on the Parliamentary Committee’s two recent recommendations to the government:

1. to “recommit to delivering the affordable homes the country needs, particularly the 90,000 social rent homes needed every year,” and
2. to introduce a “tourist accommodation registration scheme and [asked it to] report back on whether the scheme could be used to allow Local Authorities to protect their communities from the holiday-let market.”  Both parties were in favour (a) of such a scheme, (b) of its being compulsory, and (c) of online booking agencies (eg AirBnb) being required to display the venue’s registration code on all advertisements or listings.  In this way, Local Authorities would be aware of the venues in their areas and thus be able to take other actions which were legal.  However, STAA saw there being difficulties in enforcement: so wanted such registration to be at no charge to the venue.

NORA later exchanged correspondence with STAA to add its conviction that, additionally, a new Planning Use Category would probably be needed for STL, allowing Local Authorities (LA) to require Planning Approval to be sought for change of use, if the LA so decided (though not in cases where the landlord is also resident).

In April 23, the Levelling Up Secretary of State announced that a scheme along the above lines would be introduced, and opened a consultation phase, to last to June.  However, little more was heard until February 24, when the proposals were confirmed, with changes “being introduced from this summer”; so don’t hold your breath!

Robin Kerr – meetings secretary
National Organisation of Residents Associations
www.nora-uk.com